January 9, 2002
Reading 6:10 -16
“Then you shall find
rest for your souls” (16)
So many Christians long for the
‘rest’ the Bible speaks of, yet daily they find their souls in a state of
unrest. Instead of peace they have turmoil; instead of calm they find
themselves battle the waves of stress. Unfortunately there are those to whom
they turn for help who themselves do not know the answer. It is a case of the
“blind leading the blind: (Matt:
Does God allow us to experience the problem so we can help others facing the same need? Are we brought into the situation to prove God for ourselves before we can bring true comfort to others? I believe this is often the case. How much more effective is our ministry when we can show empathy and not just sympathy. When someone says, “You don’t know what I am going through because you have never been there.” we can say, “I know exactly what you are experiencing because I have been there and God has proven Himself to me.” Is this not the circumstance of Jesus? “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb 4:15,16). A popular saying today is, “Been there, done that”, which perfectly describes the experience of many Christians in their ministry to others.
What then is the answer? It is
twofold: First – “Stand in the ways and see” (16). I recently read a book that
said, “Place yourself in a position to be loved”. The
example given was that of the prodigal son who returned home from his
self-imposed spree and positioned himself where he could experience the love of
his father. What good advice here:
“Stand in the ways of God and see”. Put yourself where you can experience God’s
love. Stop gallivanting about searching hither and thither for answers.
Discover His ways and stand in them and see how God will bless you. One of the
ways of God is the confession of our sins (1 Jn: 1:9). Disobedience to God will
always cause the refreshing
showers from God to be withheld (Jer: 3:3), but place yourself in
the way of obedience and He will open the windows of heaven and pour out such
blessings that there will not be enough room to receive it (Mal:
Secondly, “Ask for the old paths, where the good way is and walk in it” (16). The twentieth century has been one of discovery and the furtherance of science and technology. Unfortunately the mindset is also true of Christianity. Many in Christian circles have claimed new revelations from God and then have sought to confirm it by the Scriptures. The Word of God is the final revelation of God to man. All we are privileged to know is contained within its pages and the Holy Spirit will enlighten our hearts from it.
Ask God to show you the “old paths”, the ways revealed in the Word of God. He will do it, and when He does, walk in it!
Do these things and “you will find rest for your souls”. If you say, “I will not walk in it’ (16) you will not find rest but will continue to walk in turmoil. His promise is “rest” for His people, so let’s position ourselves where we can experience it.